Jefferson City

Historic City of Jefferson executive director ANNE GREEN and board member LOIS HOGAN take us on a virtual walk through Jefferson City's historic Forest Hill Avenue neighborhood, highlighting the six houses taking part in this year's annual Homes Tour! Plus, find out how the city is cleaning up after May's devastating tornado. September 6, 2019

If you have unused and/or expired drugs in your home, getting rid of them is not as simple as throwing them in the trash. Council for Drug Free Youth's JOY SWEENEY recommends Dispose Rx, a powder substance that "deactivates" the medicine right there in its bottle. June 20, 2019

Authorities have arrested a second suspect in the shooting death of the student body president of a historically black college in Missouri.

Police in Jefferson City, Missouri, announced Tuesday in a news release that 19-year-old Michael Bouchee was taken into custody overnight in Texas on a second-degree murder warrant in the death of Lincoln University senior D'Angelo Bratton-Bland, who is from Chicago.

The Missouri Senate approved an amendment to the state constitution that would ban lobbyist gifts to lawmakers.

The measure, passed Wednesday in a 20-12 vote, would also change legislative term limits to allow lawmakers to serve more time in one chamber. If the amendment is approved by the House, it will go to voters.

The gift ban was a longtime priority of Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, who signed an executive order more than a year ago banning lobbyist gifts to his own employees.

The House General Laws Committee has passed a bill allowing firearms in current “gun free zones” along with other legislation concerning guns.

Of the eight bills that had public hearings on Monday, five passed through committee Tuesday evening. The voting mostly went by party lines, with all five Republican sponsored bills and one Democrat-backed bill passing the majority republican committee.

This includes a bill that allows firearms without a conceal and carry permit into current gun free zones such as bars, hospitals and churches.

Missouri transportation officials say this year's spike in Amtrak ridership continued to rise from July through October.

The Jefferson City News Tribune reports the state Department of Transportation found a 5 percent growth in the number of Amtrak riders on the twice-daily trains at the Jefferson City station. The department counted nearly 13,950 riders this year, compared to about 13,330 riders last year.

A former Missouri lawmaker is arguing to the state's Supreme Court that she shouldn't have to pay $230,000 for alleged campaign finance violations.

An attorney for former St. Louis Democratic Sen. Robin Wright-Jones told judges Tuesday that the charge amounts to an unconstitutionally excessive fine by the Missouri Ethics Commission.

A lawyer representing the commission said the amount is an appropriate fee for a couple hundred thousand dollars of expenditures and contributions the candidate failed to accurately report by state deadlines.

Public defenders are raising concerns after the Missouri Supreme Court disciplined an attorney with a large caseload of indigent clients and then told another public defender that she must ask permission before denying additional cases.

Missouri State Public Defender Director Michael Barrett said the two decisions have created a conflict. The first ruling was issued last month and led to a Columbia-based public defender being placed on probation for a year for neglecting clients. Barett blamed the issue on the attorney having too many cases.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is headed to the United Kingdom and Switzerland on his second trade mission.

Greitens is leaving Monday on a trip that will include meetings with government officials, business executives and workforce development leaders. In a news release, Greitens' office said he chose the nations because he sees an opportunity to increase trade, investment and educational and cultural ties. Spokesman Parker Briden said Department of Economic Development acting director Rob Dixon and other staff members will accompany the governor.

Former Jefferson City NAACP Chapter President died last Tuesday. Nimrod Chapel, Sr. was 76 and died from a recent stroke.

A longtime civil rights advocate, Chapel sought to protect voter rights for African Americans. Chapel was the first African American to receive a degree in the Construction Management when he graduated from Oklahoma State University. The NAACP Lifetime Service Award recipient established NAACP units in prisons and at Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

All lanes of Route 54 and Highway 63 on the Missouri River Bridge in Jefferson City are now open. The Missouri Department of Transportation opened the eastbound side of the bridge Sunday afternoon and the westbound side of the bridge Friday. Construction on the bridge began May first.

MoDOT Central District Construction and Materials Engineer Patty Lemongelli said residents have been inconvenienced enough and MoDOT is glad the bridge is reopened.

The Missouri Department of Conservation recently awarded more than $380,000 to communities across the state from the Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance, or TRIM, grant program. Jefferson City and Columbia were both awarded funding.

Jefferson City received more than $22,000. The money will go toward creating an inventory of trees to determine which are safe and which are in danger of collapsing.

Jefferson City Public Schools made the decision this year to allow open enrollment for summer school to all preschool through eighth-grade students in the Jefferson City area. Last year only students attending JCPS and who needed remediation were allowed to enroll.

This change has increased participation by 40 percent. During the first week of summer school, 2,786 students attended classes, 804 more than last year.

Amy Berendzen, director of school-community relations for JCPS said the district made this change because it had the space.

JEFFERSON CITY - A contested Missouri measure, SJR 39, to protect businesses that deny services for same-sex weddings has been voted down.

The measure failed to advance Wednesday on a 6-6 vote in a House committee. It had previously passed the Senate.

The legislation drew opposition from LGBT-rights activists and some business leaders, who cited economic backlash in other states with laws perceived as discriminatory toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri lawmakers appear uninterested in Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's proposal to end the business "border war" between the two states.

Brownback last week offered to reduce his state's efforts to lure jobs away from the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area if Missouri's lawmakers would in turn weaken a law they approved in 2014 addressing the issue.

JEFFERSON CITY - The House has endorsed a bill creating a grant program to attract more conventions to Missouri.

Lawmakers gave initial approval Wednesday to a measure authorizing grants for large conventions that could cover up to half the operating expenses. Eligible conventions would have to draw at least half their attendees from out of state, and their grants would be tied to how many hotel rooms their attendees are expected to fill.

JEFFERSON CITY - Lawmakers have trimmed about $7.3 million from Missouri's mid-year budget increase of nearly $500 million.

A House panel approved the reductions Wednesday along with limits on Governor Jay Nixon's travel expenses and less flexibility in how some health care funds are spent. Proposals for soil erosion projects and a grant program for ethanol-blended fuel pumps were also reduced.

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri lawmakers are considering whether to allow concealed weapons on public transit.

Republican Sen. Bob Onder told a Senate panel Wednesday that his proposal is about safety. He said public transit can be dangerous, and allowing people to carry concealed guns on buses and trains would deter crime.